


Miraculous Vacation

by spitfire402



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9918860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spitfire402/pseuds/spitfire402
Summary: After Ladybug misses capturing the latest Akuma, it spawns four more villains that whisk her, Chat, Jade Turtle and Rena to different corners of the globe. Unlucky for Ladybug she ends up going with none other than Chloe.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Marinette’s alarm was going off for the third time. She watched as Tikki reached out and tapped the snooze button. “Really, Tikki?” Marinette yawned. “I thought you were my Jiminy Cricket? You know, ‘hup-hup, out of bed,’ and all that stuff?”

Tikki looked out through one tired eye, the other one refusing to pop open. “Oh, Marinette, after what we have been through the last few days, I’m not up for it. Even kwami need sleep.”

Tikki was right. They were exhausted. Last night was the third night in a row they had been out most of the night chasing after yet another akuma. “Hawk Moth is definitely on a roll,” agreed Marinette. “And we could all use more sleep. Maybe that’s his plan? Keep after us until we die of exhaustion, or at least make an error. Maybe we need to take shifts? I don’t know what else we can do—Paris still needs saving.”

“…and we were doing so well making headway on actually tracking Hawk Moth since Alya and Nino joined the team! Then he starts sending akuma at night, every night.”

She heard her mum opened the hatch to her loft. “Marinette, are you up, dear?  You’re not late, but you will be soon.”

“I am, Mama. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Marinette heard the hatch close and finally found the strength to drag her aching carcass out of her warm, comfy bed. “Here is a cookie to get you going, Tikki,” she said, handing one off to the kwami from a plate on her desk. “I will be right back. “

She hurried down to shower and dress. Tikki was just finishing her cookie when Marinette reappeared. She grabbed her purse and popped it open. As had become custom, Tikki zoomed straight in. ‘Lucky kwami,’ Marinette thought to herself, ‘she would be able to grab some more sleep in there while I have to study.’

As Marinette came downstairs, her mum was waiting in the kitchen with warm croissants. The smell made Marinette’s mouth water. Lately, she had been so hungry, it seemed that she couldn’t get enough to eat. It coincided with the changes in her figure. She had noticed she was definitely looking more athletic. Even Alix had commented about it during PE the other day. All part of being one of the guardians of Paris, Marinette supposed.

She quickly finished up and kissed her mom on the cheek. “I am heading out, Mama.”

“So soon? You still have time.”

“I’m meeting Alya, Adrien, and Nino before class starts.”

“You should invite them over to supper someday soon! I’m sure Adrien would love to come over. That poor boy always looks like he’s starving.” She had that mum twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.

Marinette rolled her eyes so hard she could almost hear them click. “I’ll ask them. Bye-ee.”

She hurried from the bakery, as she approached the school she found Alya and Nino perched on the steps waiting for her.

“Hi guys!” she said. “You get any sleep?”

They both looked like a train wreck, Nino almost asleep on Alya’s shoulder. Alya managed to smile though. “Hi girl! Mmph…not nearly enough.”

Marinette laughed. “Man, you two look horrible. It’s kinda funny now that you now know why I always showed up late or looked like I was ready to fall asleep at my desk. Exciting huh?”

…oooOOOooo…

Chloe threw another pair of shoes out of her closet. “Bah! They’re all so ugly! Sabrina, come here and help me pick some shoes!”

Sabrina hesitantly stuck her head into her friend’s closet and quickly pointed. “Those ones with the gold straps are nice.”

Chloe picked them up and studied them, then pitched them out past Sabrina, making the redhead duck and cringe.

“I wore those Monday! You’re not helping! I need to make Adrikins notice me instead of that miserable little Marinette. He hasn’t been spending any time with me. When he came to our school, he was supposed to be spending time with ME.”

“Um, how about those cognac suede pumps?” Sabrina pointed to a box in the corner.

Chloe rummaged and fussed for a few more minutes, looking at a few different pairs when suddenly—“Oh, how about these suede pumps?” she said, pulling out the exact pair Sabrina had pointed to moments ago.

“Oh, Chloe, those are perfect!” Sabrina gushed.

Chloe pushed past her as she came out of the closet. “Of course they are! I picked them. Where is my breakfast? It should be here. Incompetence! Come on, we’ll eat in the dining room. So tacky.”

Sabrina obediently gathered up Chloe’s school stuff and followed her to the hotel dining room. As Chloe feared, her father, the mayor, was having his morning meal. She had no choice but to join him, making her already intolerable morning even worse.

She kissed him on the cheek before she sat across from him. Looking over, she saw Sabrina hovering nearby. Chloe rolled her eyes. “Sabrina, get over here and sit. You can’t stand in the corner like a potted plant.”

“As long as you’re sure, Chloe. I don’t want to be a bother,” she stammered.

“Sit!”

Sabrina flung herself at the chair next to Chloe.

Her father already had his customary cup of coffee and croissant.

“Waiter, come here!” she called across the dining room.

Her father looked up from his tablet at her. “Chloe…please.”

The waiter stopped, looking between Chloe and the Mayor. Chloe rolled her eyes again. “Waiter, come here…please.”

The Mayor nodded in approval and went back to reading.

“Waiter, bring us coffee, a pain au chocolate, and check if Chef has any of that imported yoghurt from Greece—the stuff with the honey in it.”

Sabrina was delighted. Normally Chloe didn’t share the spoils of being the daughter of the owner of one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris.

“Oh, thank you, Chloe!” cried the girl.

“Oh, don’t fuss,” said Chloe. “Just tell me what answers you got on your homework last night.”

Chloe and Sabrina worked together, going over Sabrina’s notes and questions as they munched on their breakfasts. They were almost most done when, out of the corner of her eye, Chloe spotted something.

“Sabrina, look at what just came out of the elevator,” she hissed.

It was a short man wearing a black button-up shirt and tan shorts. He wore a tilly hat and a pair of wire-frame glasses. He was a little pudgy too. Behind him, he dragged a rather large bright red suitcase on four small wheels. But the thing that had drawn Chloe’s attention was his choice of footwear. He was wearing socks with sandals. With sandals!

Chloe couldn’t contain herself. Laughing, she pointed at the man’s feet. Sabrina was quick to notice and join in Chloe’s cackling. The man blushed furiously at the unwanted attention. Ducking his head, he scurried over to the far side of the dining room trying to avoid the two girls.

“Oh my, Sabrina. Doesn’t he look ridiculous? He’s a walking stereotype. Hilarious. Somebody should get a picture of that fashion faux-pas.” The two laughed even harder.

From behind his tablet, the Mayor drawled. “Chloe, dear, you should be going. Don’t want to be late for school.”

Still giggling, the two girls gathered their stuff. Chloe stopped and gave her father a kiss on the cheek, “Have a good day, Papa.”

Unable to resist, Chloe had to stop on her way out to take a photo, making the poor man look even more uncomfortable.

…oooOOOooo…

Drew LaFleur plopped down in a chair. He was having a horrible day. This was his first real time away from home and it wasn’t going as planned. Of course, there had been trips with his family in his youth, but never further than a few hours from home and only for a few days at a time.

He had spent the better part of two years saving for and planning this trip. He was going to be a tourist, and he was going to go someplace new and exciting. In the end, he had narrowed his list down to four places. At the travel agents advise, he had chosen to travel to Paris, the City of Love. Maybe it would work in his favour, she had said, but, so far, nothing had worked in his favour.

The flight was long and he ended up getting airsick, so it wasn’t a great way to start. He had landed late in the evening and the airline had lost his second suitcase. Between that and the traffic, it took him a entirely too long to get to his hotel.

One of the biggest problems was that he spoke basically no French. Perhaps everyone had thought since his last name was French that he was also, but that wasn’t the case. He had learned a little in school, but that was one class every few days when he was a kid.

The hotel the travel agent had selected was supposedly top notch, but the bill was top notch to match. He was not expecting it to cost what it did, but it was late and he didn’t have the energy to go somewhere else, so he had decided to stayed the first night.

In the morning, he decided to have breakfast at the hotel, then check out and see if he could find somewhere that was more in his price range.

He was not looking forward to dragging his suitcase around, but he would have to manage. One of the biggest problems with the missing second bag was that it held all his shoes. He had worn sandals on the flight, but it was a little cool for them in Paris. The only fix he had was to wear socks with his sandals, but it made him look like the biggest nerd on the planet.

As he emerged from the elevator into the restaurant, it felt like everyone was staring. Was it wrong to take his luggage into the restaurant? Was there some sort of strange rule book he should have read?

He had just started towards an open table when he noticed two young ladies, a blonde and a redhead, sitting with an older gentleman wearing a red, white, and blue sash. The blonde was actually pointing and laughing at his sandals, and the oddly dressed redhead was laughing too. He could feel the heat in his cheeks as he blushed.

He wheeled his luggage to a table as far from the girls as he could. Grabbing the menu, he hid behind it and looked for something that he could recognise to order for breakfast.

After looking at the menu and the prices, he settled on the continental buffet. In his opinion, it was nothing to write home about.

Everything was all so different and strange. He hoped looking at the sites today would help cheer him up; he currently kind of felt like crying.

…oooOOOooo…

Marinette’s turned her head as she heard the car pull up to the school. There were only a few people who arrived by car, and her heart warmed when she saw the grey sedan. Her and Adrien finding out about each other’s identities had been painful, but also a blessing. They were now best friends both in and out of their suits, as well as boyfriend and girlfriend (to the dismay of most of the school).

Adrien sauntered up to Marinette, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before looking at Alya and Nino lolling over each other, half asleep.

“I guess it will take a while before these two get the rhythm down,” he said. “They look exhausted.”

Nino looked up. “Give me a break, bub. This is new to us. You two have had over a year to figure this out. Heck, even Miss Bug here almost slept in this morning.”

Marinette shushed him as she looked around. “Nino, stop that! You know that we have to be more careful than that. Especially with you-know-who on a roll. Knock on wood, but at least there hasn’t been any during the day.”

All four jumped at the sound of a voice behind Marinette. “Any what during the day?”

Marinette grimaced as she saw Chloe standing behind her. A few feet further back, Sabrina was still digging their books out of Chloe’s limo.

“Oh, you know…rain showers,” covered Marinette.

Chloe sneered. “Sure. Like you’re a weather forecaster now.” She turned to Adrien. “Give me a hug, Adrikins!”

Adrien looked sheepishly at Marinette. “Um, no thanks, Clo.”

“What, now you have to ask her permission to hug someone?” She stomped her foot. “I have been your best friend way longer than that scrawny waste of air!”

“Careful, Clo,” Adrien growled.

In a huff, Chloe disappeared into the school.

Alya looked at Adrien. “You know you will have to tell her you two are dating sooner or later, right?”

Adrien sighed. “I know, but I would rather face an enraged Akuma.”

Marinette giggled. “ I think you’ll survive somehow. Come on, let’s go. We don’t want to be late for class.”

The day seemed to be one long constant bickering session with Chloe. Nobody seemed safe from her dark mood. Sabrina, Nat, Kim, Rose—it went on and on as she worked her way around the class. Even the teachers weren’t spared her wrath, and they were all too afraid of the power her father had over the school to reprimand her.

At the rate Chloe was going, Marinette and her friends were amazed nobody was getting akumatized. Just to be safe, they all took turns talking with classmates to prevent any negative feelings, but everyone said the same thing. They were getting tired of Chloe’s antics, and many of them let Chloe know. Of course, this only made her worse. By the end of the day, everyone was glad it was over.

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino slipped out quietly, planning to lay low at Nino’s place as there was the least amount of prying eyes and chaos there. The rest of the class scattered, leaving a fuming Chloe. Even Sabrina had found an excuse to duck out quickly.

Furious, Chloe waited for her limo until she realised it wasn’t coming. She made a quick call and found out her ride had a flat tire, so would be at least another hour. She was just going to have to walk home.

The girl’s temper was so bad that she didn’t even stop at her usual café for a latte. As she walked, thoughts swirled in her head. She was mad at Adrien, she was mad at Marinette, but most of all, she was mad at herself. Deep down she knew she was the one to blame for her mood, but she just couldn’t stop. She didn’t know how.

She wanted friends. She probably would like to be friends with Marinette, but when she got close, all she could think about was that she wouldn’t like her and, even if she did, it wouldn’t last. Adrien had been her friend since forever, but she knew she smothered him. He didn’t know it, but Chloe spent a lot of time wondering where he was, what he was doing, and if he was doing it with someone else. The answer these days was hanging around with Marinette, and he hadn’t even had the guts to tell her. It made her head hurt thinking about it.

As she walked, she came across yet another disappointment. Pont des Arts had always thrilled her with its locks that represent love that could not be broken, love that wouldn’t go away, but some stupid city official said they were going to break the bridge, so they were to be removed. She had pleaded with her father to keep them, but in the end he told her not to be foolish. They represented vandalism, not love. She had forgotten, but today was the day the city had cut them all off.

Then she saw him again, looking at her with those puppy dog eyes.

…oooOOOooo…

After paying an indecent amount for one night, Drew headed out to see if he could find somewhere reasonable to stay. After stopping at a few of the hotels in the vicinity, he quickly discovered that they were cheaper, but not by much. Deciding that maybe the best chance was to find another area, he flagged down a cab. Just his luck, the cab driver apparently didn’t speak English and Drew’s French ended at trying to find a washroom.

After ten minutes of frustrating discussion, Drew remembered he had tickets for the Eiffel Tower. Even if he had to drag his oversized luggage around, he was going to see something, and maybe even buy a souvenir.

The tower was as impressive as he had imagined, inspiring awe and making the trip finally feel real. He was here. In Paris! Of course, the world had seen it so much more now that Ladybug and Chat Noir we famous. They seemed to be in the news every few days, and there were two more heroes now , weren’t there? But he couldn’t remember their names.

As Drew worked his way to the tower, he noted that his luggage was getting more looks than his sock/sandal combination. He shrugged. It was kind of weird, but he didn’t think it was that strange.

Pulling out the ticket he had bought online in advance, he noticed for the first time that there was a time stamped on it for…twenty minutes ago. He hoped that wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

As he made his way down the Le Pilier Sud (whatever that was), he saw to his exasperation that there was a lengthy line. For whatever reason, he had not counted on that. Perhaps there was a quick queue for those with advance tickets.

Fortunately, there was. Unfortunately, it was also long.  After waiting in line, he eventually found an employee. After double-checking his ticket, the man explained in broken English that he had missed his time. He was devastated to find out that he wouldn’t be allowed to go up and there were no refunds.

Drew walked away slowly, stopping to admire the structure one more time. He wasn’t sure he would have the money needed to try again after overextending his wallet last night at the hotel. Well, live and learn. If he ever went on a trip again, he would have to plan better.

He found a park bench and sat for a few minutes to decide what to do next. He decided to make another attempt at finding lodging. He looked over a map that he had scrounged from the hotel, but all it showed were some local attractions. One caught his eye though: Pont des Arts, the bridge of locks. And it looked like it was close by. Drew decided to walk to it. Maybe on the way he could find a restaurant that he recognised and see some more sites.

After an hour of walking though, he hadn’t found a single restaurant he knew. The place he did stop at was okay, but he didn’t recognise what was on the menu again, just like at the hotel during breakfast.

After eating, he continued the last little bit to the bridge. It was funny though—all the way there, he noticed people pointing to him and his luggage, some even saying something in French. It all seemed very odd.

Finally, he got to what he thought was the bridge, but there were no locks. The sides of the bridge were glass, so there wasn’t even a place to put a lock. He wandered up and down it trying to see if he had made a mistake, but the sign said it was the right place. Was nothing going to go right? It was all so strange.

Suddenly, there was a commotion as a nearby policeman blew his whistle and yelled at someone. Drew looked around, but there was nobody else standing near him. The policeman was yelling at him, but besides arret, he couldn’t understand a single thing being said. The policeman marched up to him and started to point at his suitcase. He was seriously starting to get worried about it.

And then he saw her, the blonde girl from the hotel, the first person he recognised all day. He clung to the hope that maybe she could help him. He knew that she probably couldn’t, but in his mind, she was like an angel sent to save him.

…oooOOOooo…

Chloe walked over to where “sandals” was talking to Sabrina’s dad.

“Hello, Officer Roger. What’s this idiot got himself into?”

“Oh, hello Ms. Bourgeois. Do you know this guy? There have been reports of him all over Paris this morning. It’s not normal to be dragging around a huge suitcase. With everything going on with Hawk Moth, adding a terrorist threat has not been helpful.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I don’t think he’s a terrorist. I saw him at my father’s hotel this morning. He probably doesn’t speak any French. Just another loser tourist that has no clue.”

“Okay, if you say so, but he should take that suitcase back to his room. It is just bizarre to be dragging it around.”

The tourist watched as the two of them spoke, clearly recognizing only a handful of words. There was a glazed look in his eyes that Chloe thought only confirmed what she thought. He was an idiot.

Officer Roger shook his head and marched off, leaving Chloe alone with the man.

“Oh, thank you! Er…m-merci,” he stammered.

Chloe looked at him with distain. “Really? Did you think I did that for you?” she said in English with her thick Parisian accent. “I did it so your stupidity would not be linked to my daddy’s hotel. What kind of idiot drags around a suitcase in the streets of Paris? Everybody thought you had a bomb or something! You should go back from where you came from and stop embarrassing yourself.”

And, with that, she turned and stormed off.

…oooOOOooo…

In a dark domed room somewhere in Paris, a window opened like a camera shutter. The lone occupant chuckled to himself. “Hmm, what do I detect? Rejection? Embarrassment? Fear? Perfect for my little Akuma.”

Hawk Moth held out a gloved hand and a small white butterfly landed on his waiting palm. His other hand gently closed over the flitting insect. When he moved his hand away again, the butterfly had turned black. It fluttered off, disappearing through the window

“That’s right, my little one. Find this weary traveller and darken his heart!”

…oooOOOooo…

Drew leaned over the bridge, his hat in his hand. He almost felt like throwing himself over the rail. This had to be the worst moment in his life. He watched as a small black butterfly slowly descended towards him. It softly landed on the brim of his hat.

With a dark flash, his head suddenly tilted back, his glasses outlined by a purple glowing mask.

Then he heard a voice in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t understand it. “Bonjour, je suis Le Papillon.”

Drew shook his head. The mask started to fade. The butterfly began to pull away from his hat.

He heard a sigh in the background. “No,” the voice growled. The butterfly disappeared into his hat again. The mask glowed vigorously.

In a thick French accent, the voice began again. “I am so sorry Tourist, I will try again in English. I am The Papillon, and I wish to help you. I see that you want to visit all the most interesting places in our lovely city and all over the world to get the best of souvenirs. I can help you, but you must bring me four souvenirs in return. I need the earrings of the Ladybug, the ring of the Black Cat, the jade bracelet of the Turtle, and the foxtail necklace. Does this sound like a good bargain?”

“Yes, Pap il lion, it does.”

A black energy surrounded Drew and, when it disappeared, in his place stood The Tourist. His Tilley hat had turned a bright purple, and his plain shirt was now a loud Hawaiian print in greens, purples, and off-whites. He still had socks and sandals, but the socks were lime green and the sandals an obnoxious orange. In his hand was a selfie stick, with the largest smartphone imaginable mounted on the end. But probably the most bizarre was the suitcase next to him. It was now on its side, sitting on dozens of tiny wheels. Where it would normally fold open at the zipper had been transformed into a mouth with dozens of shark-like teeth.

Le Papillion looked at his latest creation…and gagged.


	2. Chapter 2

The Tourist stood and looked at his surroundings. He felt strange. A few seconds ago, he felt small, stupid, and helpless. Now, he had the world at his feet. He looked down at his suitcase, or at least what had become of it. It snapped and growled at the people that were standing staring at him, then rolled over and rubbed his leg like a cat.

He wasn’t sure how but he knew what to do, but he had an overwhelming urge to collect—he had to collect souvenirs. Smiling, he looked at the selfie stick in his hand and knew this was the tool that Pap-lion had provided him to do it.

Sauntering over, he jumped up on the suitcase. Riding it like a skateboard, he swished off the bridge, going slightly downstream.

It didn’t take him long to find the perfect spot. Using his selfie stick, he brought the bridge into focus behind him. He could see the crowd on the bridge watching with curiosity.

With a huge smile and a flash, the bridge was suddenly gone, people and all. He reached down to his suitcase and tapped it on the lid. It opened wide so he could have a look inside. There it was, tucked into the corner! His first souvenir! The bridge sat in the suitcase, now only about six inches long. He could see all the people that were behind him mere moments before looking up at him, now so small that they looked like insects.

Humming happily, he looked at his phone on the end of the stick. Paris had so many attractions. This was going to be fun!

He tapped the suitcase again. The lid snapped shut and then yawned open wide once again. It no longer had the tiny bridge. It was now empty and seemingly bottomless. Feet together, the Tourist jumped in, disappearing into the darkness. As he vanished, the lid snapped shut. With a pop, the suitcase disappeared.

…oooOOOooo…

Marinette, Alya and Nino’s heads came up at the unusual tone from Alya’s phone. The sound used to signal Alya to head out to grab footage of an Akuma attack, but now it meant to gear up because Hawk Moth was at it again. Adrien, who was not yet accustomed to hanging out with Alya, didn’t stir. He was still fast asleep, cuddled into Marinette's side.

Nino threw his controller to the floor. “Damn it, I was winning! Why can’t the moth dude chill for just one day!?”

Marinette was up in a flash, leaving a drowsy Adrien on the couch where they had been snuggling. “Tikki, let’s go. Spots on!”

Tikki shot up out of the pile of sleeping kwami, sending Trixx, Plagg, and Wayzz flying in all directions. With a swish, Tikki disappeared in a swirl into Marinette’s earring. The red of her suit moved up her body and, with a flick of her fingers, her mask appeared, filling her with the familiar rush of power as she became Ladybug.

“Sorry, kwami,” she said. “I don’t want to be out all night hunting this one. Come on, you three! Let’s get a wiggle on.”

She was already heading to the stairs to the roof as Nino and Alya called their kwami and transformed. Poor Adrien was still wiping the drool from his lips and trying to figure what all the commotion was about. Volpina stopped to muss his hair as she went by.

“Hey! Watch the golden locks!” he muttered under his breath.

Jade Turtle rolled his eyes. “Mec, hurry up. You’re gonna miss the party.” He sprinted off to follow Volpina and Ladybug to the roof.

Plagg yawned like the laziest cat in Paris. “Don’t look at me, kid. I think you could use a bit more sleep.”

…oooOOOooo…

The suitcase materialised with a pop in the open area in front of Notre-Dame de Paris. For a moment, it sat motionlessly, but it wasn’t long before a small crowd gathered around, its sudden appearance causing a bit of commotion. It yawned open, which caused the spectators to jump in surprise. They watched as a man came up out of it, almost as if he was climbing a set of stairs. After the purple and orange hat, they could all see the purple and orange mask. Everyone had seen enough of Hawkmoth’s creations to know this was bad.

As he emerged from the suitcase, the Tourist noticed the crowd of onlookers, making eye contact with the first few. He watched as they began to scatter.

“Excellent!” he said. “This is much better. Nobody to mess up my next souvenir.”

The cathedral was simply awe-inspiring. He decided he had to take a few minutes to enjoy it before capturing it for his collection. Maybe if he was here long enough, those souvenirs that Pap-lion wanted might show up. Eventually, he would have to go hunt for them, but Pap-whatever-his-name-was had not put a time limit on it and, well, he did promise he could collect his own souvenirs as well.

He spent some time wandering the giant gothic cathedral. Luggage obediently followed him, growling quietly whenever anyone was brave enough to peek out from a hiding spot.

The flying buttresses, the gorgeous stained glass windows, he could smell the history. Funny, it reminded him of the St. Boniface Cathedral-Basilica from his hometown. It had burnt down in 1906, but the façade had remained. Now here he was, halfway around the world, admiring something that reminded him of home.

He was snapped out of his reverie by the sounds of sirens. Of course they would come. Shame, he had almost begun to enjoy himself. Well, he knew what to do. All it would take would be a quick selfie and he would be able to go back to enjoying himself.

As he stepped back outside, three police cars screamed up. A smile on his lips, he turned away from them while bringing up his selfie stick. Click! Poof! Gone! Problem solved. They had disappeared into his suitcase along with the bridge. Well, since he was in the mood, he swivelled around, bringing the cathedral onto the screen. Click! Poof! Gone!

Nice! That was his second souvenir. As he turned, he saw a lone policeman heading his way. He must have been on the grounds from the beginning, probably the one who had called for backup. Since his buddies were gone, he seemed to have gotten brave and was walking up with his gun drawn.

“S-s-s-top, don’t move,” the officer said.

“Of course, officer.” The Tourist raised his hands slowly over his head.

The policeman never saw it coming. In an instant, the Suitcase was behind him and, with a gulp, swallowed him whole. The Tourist chuckled as he walked over and rubbed his wheeled companion.

“Good boy. Where did you send him? Hmm?

The Suitcase rolled around his feet a few times before stopping and opening wide. The tourist hopped in and vanished. The lid snapped shut, and with a pop, the suitcase disappeared.

…oooOOOooo…

Ladybug stood atop Nino’s apartment, scanning the city for signs of what the latest Akuma was up to. It was natural that they tended to cause a commotion to attract the heroes in hopes of getting close enough to snatch their miraculous, but sometimes it took a bit to find them.

As the other three gathered behind her, it happened. Before their eyes, Notre-Dame de Paris suddenly disappeared. Poof, it was gone. Sure, they were used to strange things with each and every akuma, but it was still a bit of a shock to see the whole building suddenly vanish.

Jade Turtle whistled behind Ladybug. “Wow, nice trick. I wonder what they have in store for an encore.”

Volpina had pulled out her screen. It was a more advanced version of what Ladybug and Chat Noir had in their yo-yo and staff. She was able to pull it out from her flute, and it ended up like a large tablet. The kwami had learned over time to adapt their magic to human tech. It was not a far stretch when it can down to it.

Volpina hummed. “Well, the cathedral was the second to go. Apparently, Pont des Arts disappeared a short time ago as well. There are reports that the akuma is a short man with an orange hat.”

Ladybug’s yo-yo shot out into the distance. “Let’s go check it out!”

The four landed with flair in the open space formerly known as the cathedral

Ladybug pondered. “Well, looks like tourist attractions are connected. Let’s separate and stake out a few of the bigger ones. Volpina, Arc de Triomphe. Jade, Musée du Louvre. Chat, Sainte-Chapelle. And I will go check the tower. If you see anything, let the others know. Volpina, please keep an ear out for any other news. It might help us figure out what this one wants. Let’s put this akuma to rest so we can all go to bed.”

The others nodded. There was no leader to their little group, but they all tended to defer to Ladybug’s judgment.

They raced off in all directions towards their intended destinations, intent on being the first to find the akuma.

…oooOOOooo…

After having to deal with that sad, strange tourist, Chloe decided to stop and sit for a while in the Champ de Mars. Recently, it had become one of her favourite spots. Ladybug seemed to be attracted to the tower, and from where she sat from time to time she would catch a glimpse of her hero. She was sure that Ladybug had never noticed her here watching, but it didn’t matter. The thrill was to see her for real, not just on TV or in a web post.

Of course, she had met her up close and in person, which was part of the problem. Every time she had interacted with her, Chloe had come up with some other stupid thing to say or do. ‘Ladybug, it’s about time. Where have you been?’ and she didn’t want to think about the incessant selfies. She wanted Ladybug to like her, to respect her, to be there like she was the first day she had laid eyes on her. Like Ladybug had when she saved Chloe after Stone Heart had thrown her from the tower.

She rested her head in her hands. What a miserable day.

Suddenly, Chloe heard a shriek and a commotion in the direction of the tower. It had become an all too familiar sound in Paris lately. It typically meant an akuma.

Without knowing why Chloe went towards the sound of the panic. As she walked, people surged past fleeing in the other direction. She could feel their fear. Even with Paris adjusting to Hawkmoth’s constant onslaught, his creations still caused an uproar.

As the crowd dissipated, a feeling of dread dropped into the bottom of Chloe’s stomach. There he was, the latest Akuma. She knew it before she even saw him, but it was the traveller from the bridge, and he was her fault.

…oooOOOooo…

Ladybug landed near the Eiffel Tower. Immediately, she knew she was in the right place as crowds moved away from a spot near the base.

Sure enough, there he was. The garishness of his outfit made him easy to spot, but what truly made Ladybug shake her head was the figure that was walking towards him with her hands outstretched.

“Chloe!” Ladybug grumbled under her breath.

 She watched as the akuma turned so the tower was behind him. With a flash suddenly it was gone!

…oooOOOooo…

Chloe still didn’t know what had driven her to walk towards the awkward looking akuma. Perhaps it was because more and more she realised she was somehow part of the problem. She knew that not every akuma was her fault, but too many might be. There was a chance that if she could talk to this one, she could fix it before Ladybug arrived.

It scared her when without warning the tower had disappeared but she was determined.

As Chloe moved towards him, she spoke in English. “Mesiour, please. It is ok. You do not need to be mad. I can help.”

The Tourist looked up, recognition filling his face. “You! You think you can help me? That I need your help? Ha! You already have! You introduced me to pap lion. Without you, I wouldn’t be here like this. Don’t worry. I will send you somewhere special!” He giggled like a fool as he rubbed his hands together. “Suitcase, go get her!”

The suitcase snapped as it wheeled towards her. Chloe was too close, and there was nowhere to run.

Suddenly, there was a red flash as Ladybug touched down in a perfect superhero landing. With a kick, she sent the suitcase spinning off.

The Tourist looked in amusement. “Good day, Ladybug. It is a pleasure. You have a something I need,  I think I will collect you like my other souvenirs and take you to Hawkmoth that way.”

Ladybug cocked her head to one side. “Quoi?”

Chloe instantly understood. Ladybug didn’t speak English! This was her chance to help. As the Tourist turned and ran raised his selfie stick, Chloe launched herself at Ladybug and knocked her to the ground. There was a flash as the tree behind where they had just been standing disappeared.

“Ladybug, he’s a tourist,” Chloe explained. “He wants to collect you like a souvenir.”

They stood, but just as Ladybug was about to grab Chloe to whisk her to safety, she felt the selfie stick smashed into the side of her head, making her see stars. She stumbled to the ground.

“Damn you, Blondie. You are certainly making my life miserable,” growled the Tourist. “I really don’t want to mark up my souvenirs, but you leave me little choice.“

Ladybug was just starting to get her bearings when Suitcase clamped onto her foot. If it weren’t for her suit, it would have drawn blood. Without a thought, Chloe grabbed Suitcase by the handle and pulled with all her strength. “Let go of her, you horrible thing!” she yelled in English.

The akuma resumed his attack. For a short, pudgy guy, he was fast, and he managed to get a few more whacks in on Ladybug with it. It didn’t help that if Ladybug stood still for more than a moment, the crazy suitcase made a grab for her.

It suddenly struck Chloe. “Ladybug! It’s not the selfie stick! He didn’t have one before. It’s new. It’s probably his hat. It’s the same one he was wearing at the hotel and on the bridge.”

Ladybug merely nodded, but Chloe could tell she had changed her tactics. She had listened and now she was going to try for the hat!

Suddenly, Ladybug stopped and her yo-yo shot into the air as she called, “Lucky Charm!” In a shower of red, a robot claw toy dropped into her hands.

Chloe watched as the gears turned in Ladybug’s head as she came up with her plan. She shrugged and tossed the claw to one side like it was unimportant. Chloe was so astonished that she almost didn’t notice Ladybug giving her a wink before moving off to try for the selfie stick again.

It took a moment, but it dawned on Chloe that Ladybug was asking her to help! Ladybug had the akuma turned the other way and had the suitcase pushed to one side. Chloe scooped up the claw toy. From there it was super easy to latch onto the back of the Tourist’s big hat. Once she had it, she turned and ran. Ladybug was ready though. Chloe watched as the yo-yo whizzed past her and wrapped around a nearby tree, Ladybug flying past the Tourist and landed daintily next to Chloe.

Grinning, Ladybug took the hat and claw toy from Chloe’s hands. “Thank you, Chloe, I will take that.”

With a grand gesture, she took the hat and ripped it in half. Out popped the offending black and purple butterfly.

Chloe was so excited that she actually helped Ladybug get the Akuma that she leapt at her to give her a huge hug. The timing could not be worse. Ladybug was in mid-twirl, her yo-yo about to snatch the insect. The string connected with Chloe, tangling her up and her dragging her into Ladybug, wrapped them both almost comically.

Ladybug and Chloe could only watch as the butterfly caught an updraft and disappeared into a darkening sky.

Chloe looked at Ladybug, who was seething. “What? It wasn’t my fault.”

They both teetered and fell.

Chat Noir, no doubt having come running when he saw the tower disappear, landed as the first spot on Ladybug’s earring beeped.

“My Lady, you look like you have been clawt by a nasty spider.”

“Chat, there is no time for nonsense. The akuma got away!”

As he untied them, he chuckled. “Not to worry, Bugaboo. We will get you recharged and then we will find him in no time.”

“You don’t understand, Chat. I missed! I had freed the butterfly and when I went to purify it, knucklehead here got in the way, and now it’s loose!”

“Knucklehead! Well, I never!” Chloe shrieked as she stood. “I helped you. You should be grateful!”

Ladybug looked around. Chloe followed her lead and noticed the man who had become the Tourist had also disappeared.

Ladybug’s earring beeped again. “Chat, can you please take Chloe home? I will meet you back here in about twenty minutes with the others and maybe, if we are lucky, we can find it before it spawns. But I don’t think we will be that lucky…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally here it is, chapter deux. Sorry for the delay sometimes life gets in the way of writing.
> 
> Once again a huge shout out to [lpofdestiny](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lpofdestiny/pseuds/lpofdestiny) for beta reading this for me. With their help, I think I have improved, at least a little. 
> 
> If you haven't you should check out their amazing Ladybug fic - [Hop to It](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7463748/chapters/16961301)
> 
>  
> 
> I am on Tumblr [here](http://sandwormsladybugs.tumblr.com/)


	3. Down the hatch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then there was four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long hiatus on this. School was really kicking my butt. Had to dally with a few short ones to try to get the creative juices flowing.

 A solitary black and purple butterfly flitted and fluttered, carried aloft on a warm breeze. It swirled and tumbled with no apparent pattern to its movements. Eventually, it gently settled atop a Parisian home. It fluttered its wings briefly. Suddenly it gave off a  bright purple glow before taking off anew. As it moved off it was no longer one, it was now four. The four drifted off in separate directions spiralling down to find their prey.

…oooOOOooo…

Drew rested in an alley. His back pressed against the rough brick as he panted trying to catch his breath. Slowly he slid down, his hat tipping forward until it fell on his lap as he sat on the cold cobblestones. He felt the hot tears as they ran down his cheeks and watched as they dripped off his nose. Miserable, he was so miserable. He had no idea what was going on. The last thing he remembered was that he was at that bridge and it was all wrong, then the next thing he knew he was in a park. There were police and what looked like that hero that he had heard about… Ladybug. But she was all wrapped up with that blond girl, and they were arguing in French. He had run as fast and as far as he could. He had ended up here in the alley. No suitcase. No idea what was going on and so so scared

…oooOOOooo…

He could hardly contain himself. This was so perfect. He now had four akuma and what was his name … Drew… was alone and scared.

…oooOOOooo…

Ladybug touched down on Chloe’s balcony. It had been a long night and they had hunted high and low. No luck had come their way, neither the butterflies, nor the tourist had been found. She was tired, she was sore, but worst of all Ladybug knew she needed to talk to Chloe. She stalked over to the French doors that lead to Chloe’s suite. She sighed, her shoulders visibly sagging as she rapped on the door.

It didn’t take Chloe long to make it to the door. “Hello, Ladybug.  Here to apologise?” she flicked her ponytail and walked back into the room. She crossed her arms and faced away from Ladybug.

Ladybug ran her palm down her face and sighed. “I’ll make you a deal, I’ll apologise if you do as well” with that she crossed her arms and waited.

Chloe turned to face her hero, “deal. I am sorry I tripped you up.

Ladybug was shocked but recovered quickly. “Apology accepted and I am sorry I got upset.  You were just excited.”

With that, Chloe ran over and gripped ladybug in a huge hug. Ladybug pealed her away and stood with her hands on her shoulders, “now I need your help again.”

Chloe’s demeanour snapped back to classic Chloe. “But of course you do.”

With a sigh, ladybug led her to a couch. “So. What we need right now is information on the akuma victim.  We haven’t been able to track him down, and you seemed to know him.”

“Oh. That loser. He was a guest here at the hotel last night, but he checked out this morning even though he was booked and paid for the week. Then he was wandering around the city with that stupid big red suitcase making people think he had a bomb or something. “

“Do you think the front desk has a contact number for him?”

“Of course!” Chloe grabbed Ladybug’s hand and lead her out of her room to the front desk.  It would be perfect people would see her helping Ladybug!  It was a dream come true.

…oooOOOooo...

It took a while but Drew worked up enough courage to set out to look for the only place he knew in Paris. The hotel. The streets went this way and that everything was in French and it made his head hurt. He had almost made it to the hotel when he heard a familiar whistle. He turned to see the policeman that he had talked to him on the lock bridge running towards him shouting in French. Already frazzled, Drew took off at a run. It didn’t take long and the policeman was almost upon him when out of nowhere a young boy stuck out his foot sending Drew sprawling to the ground right in front of the hotel.

…oooOOOooo...

Ahhh, there it is, fear, embarrassment, anger. I knew it was only a matter of time, my weary traveller. Go my akuma once again darken his heart.

…oooOOOooo...

Ladybug stood at the front desk of the Hotel as Chloe look through the computer with an angry looking concierge standing behind her.

“Here it is Ladybug. His name is Drew, and he is from Canada. I’ll look for his number.”

Before she was able to click the next button, there was a commotion out the front door. They looked up to watch as a solitary black butterfly descended and lighted atop of the hat of a man sprawled in front of the door.

Ladybug sighed as she stalked towards the door, “well here we go again.”

…oooOOOooo...

Elsewhere in Paris, Chat stood watching. He had been there the better part of an hour with nothing to show. He was sure it would be better to be out patrolling, but he trusted Ladybug's instincts. There were few people around this time of night, but he stood and watched an older gentleman, obviously a tourist with a large baseball hat. It only took a second but right before his eyes a black butterfly landed on the very top and the man transformed to a copy of the akuma from earlier with a beautiful green suitcase.

…oooOOOooo...

Meanwhile, Rena paced, waiting and watching wasn’t her strong suit, but she was doing her best. Half a dozen times she had chased after what she thought might be the man they were looking for. Each time she was wrong, and she returned to her perch. She was daydreaming when out of the corner of her eye she saw it. A single black butterfly. It was descending into the crowd of people in front of her. Before she could move, it landed atop of a hat worn by a small Asian lady that had she had watched being bumped around by the crowd.  It only took a split second before she became an exact copy of the akuma they were looking for standing beside a lovely orange suitcase.

…oooOOOooo...

Carapace sat listening to the sounds from the club below humming to himself. He watched as a strange looking dude scurried past below followed by a blue suitcase. A few moments later he stopped humming. “Shoot that was the akuma dude...”

…oooOOOooo...

Ladybug quickly charged out,  maybe there was a chance to get the drop on the akuma before he had a chance to orient himself. To her dismay, she was reminded of his suitcase, which had magically popped out of thin air, as she tripped falling to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she was about to send her yo-yo towards The Tourist when she was bumped from behind.

“Oops!” remarked Chloe from behind her.

Ladybug ran her hand down her face as she turned to chastise her favourite pain in the ass.

It was just that moment of inattention that The Tourist needed. “Suitcase! Now!”

The offending travel accessory opened wide and with a scoop Ladybug and Chloe disappeared into its depths.

…oooOOOooo...

Chat slid down his extended staff, touching down with a puff of dust in front of the strange looking man. “That is a CATastrophic fashion disaster, my friend. We should find you a clothing store.”

“Oh but Mr Noir, black is so passe. You should be bold! Oh and watch your step.” With his extended selfie stick, the man pushed Chat gently backwards. He had not seen the green suitcase as it had yawned open behind him. His balance broken, he tumbled backwards disappearing into the darkness.

…oooOOOooo...

Rena's red-suited form moved like the wind through the crowd. Weaving and dodging she moved close to the ground as she approached the akuma.

“Hey Shiny! Wanna catch a Fox?” She thumbed her nose as she slid past jumping over the suitcase as she carried on through. The Tourist was off in a heartbeat chasing the fox hero. Ducking and dodging it didn’t take long to break out of the crowd. With a yell, The Tourist took a swing at Rena with their selfie stick. As it passed through the form, the fox disappeared. The Tourist whirled uncontrollably until they ran face first into the real Rena’s fist. They sagged to the ground with a grunt.

Rena stood over the little man. “You should watch where you are going. You never know when you might go on a trip.”

The Tourist smiled as he looked up at the hero. “au contraire mon Cheri, _it is you that is going on a trip_.” Moving surprisingly fast he brought both legs up and before Rena could move he kicked her hard in the stomach.

The Suitcase had open directly behind her. She squeaked as she tumbled over the edge and disappeared into its open maw.

…oooOOOooo…

Carapace jogged along trying to find the odd little man. He wasn’t sure, but the others would probably laugh at him for missing the opportunity like this. Man, the dude, had dropped right into his lap. What were the chances? This was probably the best lead they would have all night and poof gone. He broke into a run, maybe he could find him. His heart raced, “damn, damn, damn!”

He broke into a sprint. He really didn’t want to let the others down. He was supposed to the guardian, he was supposed to be wise, he wasn't supposed to flub it up this bad.

He rounded a corner going way to fast. Fast enough to be caught off guard. The dude had his selfie stick out and caught him right across the shins. He sprawled forward straight into that savage looking suitcase.

**Author's Note:**

> Super excited about this fic. Huge shout out to [lpofdestiny](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lpofdestiny/pseuds/lpofdestiny) for beta reading this for me. Their input has made this so much better!!!
> 
> If you haven't you should check out their amazing Ladybug fic - [Hop to It](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7463748/chapters/16961301)
> 
> I am on Tumblr [here](http://sandwormsladybugs.tumblr.com/)


End file.
